Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has sparked controversy by suggesting that children under 13 should be allowed to join social networking sites. The thing is, there is nothing stopping Facebook from allowing children to join now… except Facebook.
As it stands, the Facebook terms of service dictate that members be at least 13 years old to set up an account. However, a recent Consumer Reports survey indicates that as many as 7.5 million Facebook users are under 13, and 2/3 of those kids are under 10. Either they, or their parents, simply lied about their age to set up the account.
Zuckerberg seemed to imply that the US Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is preventing Facebook from allowing children to join, and suggested that Facebook might one day take on the challenge of altering or repealing that legislation to change the rules. But, COPPA doesn’t prevent Facebook from allowing children to join, it just requires a little extra effort from Facebook.
COPPA puts protections in place that require a site operator to obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing any personal information related to the child. It doesn’t ban such activity. It just means that Facebook would have to make a reasonable effort to ensure that a parent or guardian is aware that the child is joining Facebook, and that the parent or guardian grants permission for information to be collected and shared.
IDG News Service
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